Operation Manual

82 Web Design from Scratch
Don’t set out to overwhelm or overdesign. The simplest site may work
best. What will succeed is the result of understanding who’s in your
audience, and what they bring to what you have to offer.
Who’s it for?
Family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, co-workers, kids, adults, clients,
prospective clients, prospective employers, fellow worm-farming
enthusiasts—or “the world at large”? Chances are you already know at
least a few of the folks you’d like to reach. Perhaps you’re already
publishing print pieces that connect you to that audience. Part of the
excitement in creating a Web site is knowing you’ll likely be reaching a
great many folks you couldn’t reach before.
Use yourself, and your own experience on the Web, as a starting point.
But be prepared to be surprised that many users don’t share your
assumptions. Ideally, a Web site should constitute a dialog between
creator and audience, more like a (very slow) theater event than a TV
broadcast. If the dialog begins while the site is in its formative stage, so
much the better. Do a bit of research among people (even just one
person) representative of those you’ll be trying to reach. Poll your
clients or newsletter subscribers.
♦ Ask them what they like and dislike about Web sites.
♦ What’s their level of expertise?
♦ What kind of hardware, software, and Internet connection are they
using?
♦ Use the Web itself to tap into surveys on Internet usage.
♦ What characteristics make your audience unique—different from
the so-called average user?
Each point you can clarify will serve as a reality check on your initial
concepts. And as time goes on (see the Design Tips in the previous
chapter), user feedback will help you develop your site in a way that
keeps the visitors coming back for more.
What have you got?
That is, not just what do you want to say, but why should anyone
listen? What have you got that users actually want? What are you
starting out with as content, and what kinds of transformations will it
need to go through to succeed on the Web? These are complex
questions, but essential to address at the start of this kind of project.
The answers will help you tailor your content to your intended audience
in this new medium.